"Tambour Slats" is the term used to describe slats that slide together to make roll-up doors, such slats having been in use for many years. Tambour doors were once a common sight when roll-top desks were popular. Nowadays, even though roll-top desks have made a nostalgic comeback, the use of tambour slats in roll-top desks is only a very minor use of these slats. Thus, the overall use of tambour slats has increased due to such common needs as garage doors, truck doors, store front doors commonly used in shopping malls, office cabinet doors especially for computer accessories and various other uses both indoor and outdoor. Typical constructions are shown in the U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,128,120 to Frey and Magro 4,630,664.
A substantial problem which almost invariably occurs with the use of tambour slats is the distracting and disturbing clatter-like noise which is produced when a tambour closure such as a door made up of a series of tambour slats is opened or closed. This problem is a particular annoyance in quiet, serene settings such as in hospitals, homes, shops, computer environments, residential neighborhoods and shopping malls where the typical noise created by tambour doors is likely to be disturbing and grating.